A Double-Blind Randomized Placebo-Controlled Study Assessing the Safety, Tolerability and Efficacy of a Herbal Medicine Containing Pycnogenol Combined with Papain and Aloe vera in the Prevention and Management of Pre-Diabetes

Natural Products as Outstanding Alternatives in Diabetes Mellitus: A Patent Review

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic syndrome that can be considered a growing health problem in the world. High blood glucose levels are one of the most notable clinical signs. Currently, new therapeutic alternatives have been tackled from clinicians' and scientists' points of view. Natural products are considered a promising source, due to the huge diversity of metabolites with pharmaceutical applications. Therefore, this review aimed to uncover the latest advances in this field as a potential alternative to the current therapeutic strategies for the treatment of DM. This purpose is achieved after a patent review, using the Espacenet database of the European Patent Office (EPO) (2016-2022). Final screening allowed us to investigate 19 patents, their components, and several technology strategies in DM. Plants, seaweeds, fungi, and minerals were used as raw materials in the patents. Additionally, metabolites such as tannins, organic acids, polyphenols, terpenes, and flavonoids were found to be related to the potential activity in DM. Moreover, the cellular transportation of active ingredients and solid forms with special drug delivery profiles is also considered a pharmaceutical technology strategy that can improve their safety and efficacy. From this perspective, natural products can be a promissory source to obtain new drugs for DM therapy.

The role of Pycnogenol in the control of inflammation and oxidative stress in chronic diseases: Molecular aspects

The prevalence of chronic diseases has increased significantly with the rising trend of sedentary lifestyles, reduced physical activity, and dietary modifications in recent decades. Inflammation and oxidative stress play a key role in the pathophysiology of several chronic diseases, such as type II diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and hepatic conditions. Therefore, reducing inflammation and oxidative stress may be beneficial in the prevention and treatment of various chronic disorders. Since chronic diseases are not completely curable, various methods have been proposed for their control. Complementary therapies and the use of natural antioxidant and antiinflammatory compounds are among these novel approaches. Pycnogenol (PYC) is a natural compound that could control inflammation and oxidative stress. Furthermore, some previous studies have shown that PYC could effectively reduce inflammation through signaling the downstream of insulin receptors, inhibiting the phosphorylation of the serine residues of insulin receptor substrate-1, reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress indices through the stimulation of antioxidant pathways, increasing free radical scavenging activities, preventing lipid peroxidation, and protecting the erythrocytes in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase-deficient individuals, although these effects have not been fully proved. The present study aimed to comprehensively review the evidence concerning the positive physiological and pharmacological properties of PYC, with an emphasis on the therapeutic potential of this natural component for enhancing human health.